Gijinka Troubles
by animatedrose
Summary: Maverick Simonson is the new Pokemon Champion in Sinnoh. After foolishly trying to capture Arceus, he ends up on the wrong end of a curse that has turned all of his Pokemon in Gijinkas, humans with the appearances and strength of Pokemon! On his quest to break the curse, he discovers that all of his Pokemon are a bit more attached to him than he originally thought...
1. Chapter 1: Cursed

TheTalesOfFlameFan requested that I post this story here, along with a few others. To honor that request (I'm so happy people want to see what else I write in my spare time!), I've posted the requested stories here.

I have bad news regarding this story, however. I originally had the first three chapters completed, the third of which introduced many important characters. Sadly, my computer crashed and erased the third chapter of this story. I have yet to try rewriting it, so I only have two chapters for you. Please accept my apologies. :(

I hope you like it, TheTalesOfFlameFan! Enjoy!

Pokemon: Gijinka Troubles

Chapter 1: Cursed

"Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!"

"Leon, use Hydro Pump!"

The Garchomp charged, ramming into the Empoleon as hard as he could. The Empoleon skidded backward but refused to fall, opening his beak and unleashing a powerful jet of water. Garchomp smirked as it struck the ground at his feet. Empoleon gaped. This was the third time Hydro Pump had missed in this battle.

On one end of the arena, Sinnoh Pokemon Champion Cynthia stood tall and determined. Garchomp was her best, and final, Pokemon. As expected, he wasn't going down easily.

On the other end of the arena was a raven-haired boy. His name was Maverick Simonson, a Pokemon Trainer that had succeeded in defeating all of the Sinnoh Gym Leaders, Team Galactic, _and_ saving the world from destruction! Now he had his sights set on becoming the Sinnoh Pokemon Champion.

The Elite 4 had been taken out after a long and harsh struggle. Cynthia was tough and both were down to their last Pokemon. This was the deciding battle.

"Come on, Leon!" Maverick cried. "You can do it! One more Hydro Pump!"

"Pol!" Leon the Empoleon nodded.

"Garchomp, use Giga Impact! End this battle!" Cynthia ordered.

Garchomp charged again, glowing a bright white color as he prepared to deal the finishing blow. Leon unleashed his fourth Hydro Pump, praying that it hit its mark. Success! Garchomp was pushed back just enough for the Empoleon to dart away, dodging the attack. Garchomp glared, panting for breath. He would have to recharge now.

"Leon, finish this with Ice Beam!" Maverick cried.

"Not yet! I'm not letting the fun end so fast!" Cynthia said, pulling out a Full Restore.

Garchomp sighed in relief as his health was restored, allowing him to survive a direct hit from Leon's Ice Beam. Maverick cursed, clenching his fists angrily. Leon glared at Garchomp, silently promising to knock him out on the next turn.

"Now that Garchomp can move again, use Earthquake!" Cynthia cried.

Maverick cursed again as Garchomp stomped the ground hard, summoning a giant earthquake that threatened to throw the trainer off his feet. Leon quickly scooped him off of the ground, taking the damage himself. Feeling dizzy, the Water/Steel-type gently set his trainer down before falling to his knees, sharp-edged flippers holding his upper body off of the ground as he gasped for breath.

"Leon, hang in there!" Maverick encouraged. _I don't have any Full Restores left. Sorry, Leon…_

"I have to admit that you've kept me entertained so far. You're a great trainer, Maverick." Cynthia complimented. "I'm afraid I must bring this battle to an end, though. Better luck next time, Maverick. A little more preparation and training may have won you this match."

Maverick smirked. "Who said we were out? Leon and I are still fighting!"

As if to prove his trainer right, Leon struggled to get back on his feet. Lifting his bladed flippers, the Empoleon glared at Garchomp and issued a silent challenge. Garchomp snarled, accepting the challenge.

"Then let's end this! Garchomp, use Giga Impact!" Cynthia cried.

"Use Hydro Pump one more time, Leon!" Maverick ordered. _Please work,_ he silently pleaded.

Garchomp charged one more time, his body aglow with brilliant white light. Leon squinted, partially blinded by the approaching Dragon/Ground-type. Closing his eyes, the Empoleon trusted his instincts and waited. He heard Garchomp's every step as he raced toward the penguin Pokemon. He continued to wait until…

"…Now, Leon!" Maverick shouted.

"Empo…LEON!" Leon opened his beak, unleashing a powerful blast of water upon Garchomp.

"CHOMP!" Garchomp roared as he was thrown back by the attack, caught off-guard. He crashed to the ground, his vision blackening as the rest of his strength slipped away.

"And…Maverick Simonson is the winner!" the announcer cried.

The crowd erupted into loud cheering. Maverick smiled, waving as he made his way over to his Empoleon. Helping Leon up, Maverick watched as Cynthia returned her defeated Garchomp and made her way toward him.

"Congratulations, Maverick," she said. "You've just become our newest Pokemon Champion!"

"Thanks," Maverick replied, smiling. "I couldn't have done it without my team, though. They made it all possible…all of them."

Cynthia smiled, nodding in agreement. "Follow me. We have to make a record so everyone will know of your new title."

Maverick followed Cynthia to a lift, returning an exhausted Leon along the way. Arriving in a strange room, he placed his Poke Balls into a machine and watched as it registered his team. Once that was done, Cynthia stated he was free to do as he pleased now. Maverick happily chose to return home to Twinleaf Town.

Leaving the Pokemon League behind him, Maverick used a combination of riding his bike and surfing on Leon to get home. Leon was completely healed at a Pokemon Center first, of course. Maverick wouldn't dare surf on Leon if he was injured or tired for fear of hurting himself and Leon.

It took a long time but he made it home…only to be greeted by Prof. Rowan the moment he got home!

"Maverick, it's nice to see you again!" the old professor greeted. "I just decided to drop by in order to provide you with an upgrade for your PokeDex…and to ask a favor of you."

"What is it? Here's my PokeDex." Maverick handed the machine over and watched as Prof. Rowan tinkered with it. It was quickly returned. "What did you do?"

"You can know gather information on Pokemon from not only the Sinnoh Dex but from the National Dex, too!" Prof. Rowan explained. "You can now gather information on over 490 Pokemon, Maverick."

"490?" the raven-haired boy yelped. "That's a lot!"

"Indeed, it is. I hope you can see as many of them as you possibly can." Prof. Rowan said. "Now, about that favor…"

"What is it?" Maverick asked.

"When Nancy and I went to find you in Mt. Coronet before you defeated Cyrus, I managed to stumble across an odd relic." Prof. Rowan explained.

Nancy was Prof. Rowan's assistant and the daughter of one of Prof. Rowan's aides. Her little sister had been giving Maverick inside info on where rare Pokemon could be found, wanting him to be better than Nancy. Maverick had a strange feeling that Nancy liked him due to her refusal to look him in the eye whenever they encountered one another. Then again, that could just be her natural shyness toward most people.

Maverick watched as Prof. Rowan pulled out a strange-looking purple instrument with many holes in it and a red mouthpiece at the top.

"What is that thing?" Maverick asked.

"I think it's an ancient relic spoke of only in myths and legends…the Azure Flute," Prof. Rowan replied. "It is said to play a melody not of this world."

"What was the favor you wanted? Does it include this…Azure Flute thing?" Maverick questioned.

"Yes," the professor nodded. "Nancy and I uncovered a tablet that says if the Azure Flute is played at the top of Mt. Coronet, it will lead to a place beyond our world. I want you to investigate and see if it's true. If it is, find out what's there and report back once you're through. Can you do this for me, Maverick?"

"Um…sure?" the raven-haired boy shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do at the moment. Why not?"

"Thank you," Prof. Rowan said, handing him the Azure Flute.

"No problem!" Maverick chuckled as he dropped the mysterious instrument in his bag. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Be careful," Prof. Rowan warned.

"I know. Don't worry. I'll bring my A-Team with me, okay?" Maverick promised. "See you later!"

"Good luck," Prof. Rowan wished. Turning, he headed back toward Sandgem Town.

Maverick pulled out a Poke Ball and opened it, releasing a powerful-looking Staraptor. She turned to him and waited patiently for orders. "Fly me to Oreburgh City, Starla. I need to get to the top of Mt. Coronet."

Starla the Staraptor nodded, taking flight with a few flaps of her powerful wings. Her talons wrapped around the boy's shoulders, carrying him off the ground and up into the air. She set off toward the mining town to the northeast, leaving Twinleaf Town behind.

Maverick loved flying. He felt so…free in the sky. The wind in his hair, the fresh air, the bird Pokemon flying by, it all felt perfect to him. If he could have three wishes from a genie, one would definitely be to fly. But, seeing as genies only exist in the form of rare and legendary Jirachi that sleeps for 1000 years and awakens for only 7 days in between, he would have to settle for having Starla carry him around with Fly.

Oreburgh City soon appeared below them and Starla landed right in front of the Pokemon Center, as she always did. Returning her to her Poke Ball, Maverick left Oreburgh City and passed through Route 207, using his bike to go up the sandy ramp to get to one of Mt. Coronet's many entrances. Once there, he entered and started the long climb to Spear Pillar at the peak.

It look a few hours of precious daylight and by the time he made it to Spear Pillar, the sky was growing dark and stars began to sparkle above him. Maverick looked around, staying at the entrance of Spear Pillar. There was something strange about the air up here today.

A faint whistle caught him off guard. Looking around, he soon realized it was coming from his bag. Digging through it, he pulled out the Azure Flute and heard it whistle more clearly as the wind passed through it. The melody, though quick and faint, really did sound like it was from another world.

"Should I play it?" the boy wondered. "…Why not?"

Placing the red mouthpiece to his lips, he began to play. A beautiful melody erupted from the instrument, filling the whole of Spear Pillar with its sound. The music echoed through Mt. Coronet and out its entrances, traveling through the towns and cities that made up Sinnoh. Even Eterna Forest and the three lakes of Acuity, Valor, and Verity were caught in its music. The entirety of Sinnoh came to a standstill as the hauntingly beautiful melody came to an end.

In his lab in Sandgem Town, Prof. Rowan heard the tune loud and clear. "The Azure Flute," he whispered.

Back on the top of Mt. Coronet, Maverick was quick to back up as a glowing staircase appeared before him, leading up into the heavens far above Spear Pillar. Nervous, he looked around to see if anyone else was around. Feeling compelled to see what was at the top, Maverick began to climb it…and forced himself not to look down as he noticed the sharp spear-like pillars far below him as he climbed higher.

He was startled to notice a glowing floor at the top, floating high above Spear Pillar. Maverick carefully stepped onto it, fearing that the floor would fall away beneath him and send him falling to his death. After reassuring himself that he was not about to fall, he looked up and noticed a strange man standing in the middle of the floor.

His hair was white with a spike on both sides of his face, covering his ears and rising just above the top of his head to make them instantly noticeable. A small section of the bangs directly in front of his forehead were golden and the underside of the hair was dark gray. His hair reached to his waist, keeping stiffly together behind him and not fanning out like you would expect such long hair to do.

He was wearing a dark gray pinstripe button-up shirt under a white trench coat the reached his ankles. The inside of the trench coat was dark gray. His pants were white with dark gray going halfway down the insides of the legs. The edges of the trench coat sleeves and pant legs, along with the entirety of his gloves and shoes, were golden.

A strange golden wheel with four long spokes that extended past the edges of the wheel was around his waist, like a strange belt, and extended outward all around him. It looked like one of the old-time wheels used on Rapidash-drawn carriages. At the end of the golden spokes, green jewels were encrusted into them and shone brightly. It looked fairly uncomfortable to Maverick.

What caught Maverick's attention the most was the mysterious man's eyes. They were green and a green spot was right below each eye. Overall, they were very normal looking…until you saw his pupils. They were bright red and seemed to glow. They frightened the trainer. Something about this man was far too strange for Maverick's liking.

Then the man spoke. "What do you want here, trainer?" he demanded. His voice sounded suspicious and hostile.

"I-I came here to find out what this thing did!" Maverick replied, fearful. He held out the Azure Flute. "It led me up here! Who are you?"

"The Azure Flute! I knew you humans had stolen it from me!" the man hissed, furious.

"Stolen it? Prof. Rowan found it in Mt. Coronet!" Maverick argued.

"Lies! That's all you humans do in this world! Lie and steal to satisfy yourselves!" the man declared.

"That's not true!" Maverick cried. "Sure, some humans are like that but not everyone! If you want this back, you can have it!"

"If you're attempting to trick me, you've failed," the man said. "I will indeed be taking my Azure Flute back, human. Prepare yourself!"

Before Maverick could reply, the strange man began to glow and change form. When the light died down, a horse-like creature with a long mane and a wheel around its middle was standing before him. Green and red eyes glared at him angrily.

"What is that thing?" Maverick yelped, pulling out his PokeDex.

"**Arceus, the Alpha Pokemon. It is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing, then shaped the universe with its 1,000 arms. It is told of in mythology."**

"Arceus? I never heard of it." Maverick muttered. "But if it's a Pokemon, I'm catching it!"

"_That's what I mean!"_ Arceus shouted. _"You humans are greedy and selfish creatures who seek to make everything in the world yours! Well, I've had enough of it!"_

"Leon, let's go!" Maverick cried.

The Empoleon appeared, raising his bladed flippers threateningly. "Empol!" he growled.

"Use Metal Claw!" Maverick ordered.

"_Fool! You know nothing of the powers of a God Pokemon!"_ Arceus laughed.

The ring around Arceus' middle became silver, along with his hooves, dark gray underside, eyes, and the golden spot on his head. The jewels on the wheel turned golden.

Leon charged, his Metal Claw crashing into Arceus…and causing almost no damage!

"What the?" Maverick yelped.

"_That is the power of my Elemental Plates, human."_ Arceus said. He would've probably smirked if he had a mouth. _"What I just used was the Iron Plate, making me immune to your pathetic Steel-type attacks. I am resistant to all of your attacks!"_

"No way," Maverick muttered, backing up a step. _This can't be happening. Is he invincible? …No! Nothing's invincible! I can beat this guy!_ "Hydro Pump, Leon!"

"_What did I just tell you? Do you have no brain, human?"_ Arceus demanded.

The same areas that became silver now became blue. The jewels on the wheel became light blue.

The jet of water crashed into Arceus and did little damage. Then Arceus used Earth Power, making the ground below Leon's feet erupt with power. The Empoleon crashed to the ground, heavily damaged. Leon tried to use Drill Peck, only to have Arceus repel it by changing his colors again to resist Flying-type moves.

"_You really have no grasp as to what you're doing, do you?"_ Arceus taunted. _"Humans truly are below us Pokemon. You have no right to capture Pokemon and use them for your own selfish ends!"_

"Maybe you're right," Maverick admitted. "Maybe humans are selfish. No, scratch that, we _are_ selfish! But isn't everyone? My Pokemon and I understand each other! We trust each other!"

"_Oh, really? You think a human can ever fully understand a Pokemon?"_ Arceus repeated. _"Impossible! The only way a human could truly understand a Pokemon is if you could live through everything they went through for you! But that's impossible!"_

"I think I know my Pokemon well enough, Arceus." Maverick said.

"_Hardly! Even I know your Pokemon better than you do!"_ Arceus laughed. _"I created them, after all!"_

"Leon, us—" Maverick started.

"_It's time I put an end to this battle,"_ Arceus said. _"Prepare to die, human! Judgment!"_

A ball of light formed in front of Arceus' forehead, growing bigger and brighter with every passing second. When it was glowing so brightly that it temporarily blinded Maverick, it shot toward the sky and exploded into countless points of light. The various shots of light rained down on the floor, crashing into both Leon and Maverick!

"AAAAAAH!" Maverick screamed.

"EMPO…LEON!" Leon shoved his trainer to the ground, protecting him with his own body.

When the attack ended, Arceus transformed into the mysterious man and stepped forward. Seeing Leon and his trainer out cold, he sighed and shook his head. Lifting a hand, a ball of light appeared in his palm.

"You think you know everything about your Pokemon, human? You know only what you see," he said. "I'll let you know how your Pokemon truly are but in order to do that, I must curse you. I wonder…will you like what you find?"

The ball of light drifted out of the man's palm, passing through Leon and entering Maverick's body. Maverick began to glow briefly before it faded. Then his Empoleon started glowing!

Bladed flippers began to shrink into thin arms and his legs lengthened, making Leon a bit taller. His amount of fingers and toes grew by two. His body became thinner and his head changed completely, becoming more human in shape. The trident growth on his forehead shrunk and relocated to the top of his head while the remains of his beak formed a human nose and mouth. The thick, metallic feathers covering his body became clothes similar to the designs on his body as a Pokemon.

The glow receded, leaving a raven-haired teenager sprawled on top of Maverick in Leon's place. With a wave of the man's hand, both boys disappeared. Picking up the forgotten Azure Flute, the man fingered it joyfully before looking toward Eterna Forest. He frowned.

"Sometimes I hate being a God Pokemon," he muttered. The man, now revealed as Arceus in a human form, vanished from the Hall of Origin.

The glowing staircase disappeared only moments before a dark portal opened in the center of Spear Pillar. Out of it stumbled a blue-haired man in a tattered Team Galactic uniform. He gasped for breath before looking around, a small smile forming on his lips.

"I'm back," he whispered. "I'm finally free of that wretched Distortion World! But now…I have to come up with a plan. This world still needs to be changed. But how to do it?"

Cyrus, leader of the ruined Team Galactic, was on the loose once more.


	2. Chapter 2: Shocking Discoveries

Chapter 2: Shocking Discoveries

Maverick's head pounded with pain. That was the first thing he was aware of when he woke up. Then he saw a clear blue sky overhead. There was nothing unusual there. Then he noticed the trees surrounding him. If he remembered correctly, the Hall of Origin had no trees. Then he noticed that his head was on something soft…and warm. That something was definitely not grass, leaves, moss, or twigs…or anything else a forest might have.

Instantly bolting upright, he bit back the urge to scream as his whole body reacted to the rapid movement with instant pain. He flopped back on the ground and noticed that the soft thing that his head was resting upon was a thick black coat with blue on the edges. The sleeves had a pointed look to them.

"What the…?"

Maverick's head hurt too much for him to give it much thought…until he heard a voice. He couldn't tell if it was calling for him or not, but it was definitely getting closer. When the voice was close enough for Maverick to hear it properly, he was surprised at what he heard.

"Master! Master, are you okay? Don't move! You're hurt, remember?"

Suddenly, a raven-haired man was by his side, leaning over him. He looked around 19 years old, bordering on 20 years old. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a wavy look to the bottom edge of it, little holes punched into each wave. A pair of black pants, probably made of the same material as the jacket Maverick was resting on, and a pair of yellow-orange loafers completed the look.

Maverick was spooked by a few strange things about this guy.

For one, a small golden trident seemed to be attached to the man's forehead, parting his black bangs down the middle. Those same bangs seemed to be blue along the edges around where his eyes were.

For two, the man's fingernails were painted dark yellow and seemed to be pointed. They almost looked like…claws, maybe talons. Maverick briefly wondered if the man's toenails were the same way.

For three, the man had deep blue eyes that seemed so familiar to Maverick. It was almost like he knew the strange man. He couldn't remember seeing him anywhere, though. Maverick was pretty sure he would remember this strange guy if he had seen him in public. Strange…

"Master, are you okay?" the man asked again, touching Maverick's forehead. "Maybe you have a fever. Alec told me that humans usually give weird looks if they're sick."

_Alec?_ Maverick faintly remembered that being the name of his Alakazam. _Funny,_ he thought. _How would this guy know that? Or maybe he's talking about somebody else._

"You feel fine to me," the man said. He sighed in relief. "That's good! I wouldn't want you to be sick on top of being injured. I've never seen an attack like that one before. I wonder what it was."

"Who…are you?" Maverick finally asked. "Why are you…calling me 'Master'?"

The man blinked in shock before smiling. "Because you're my master, Master!" he replied. Then he suddenly gasped. "Wait! You can understand what I'm saying?"

"Why not? It's not like you're a Pokemon." Maverick joked.

The man clapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide in shock. "But…I _am_ a Pokemon! Master, it's me! Leon!"

"Leon? As in…my Empoleon?" Maverick asked, gingerly sitting up.

The man nodded.

"…Okay, quit it. This isn't funny!" Maverick demanded. "I don't know who you are, but you better stop it! Where am I? How do you know me? And where's Leon?"

"I _am_ Leon, Master!" the man insisted. "We went up that glowing staircase and met that weird guy. We battled him and he kept blocking my attacks by changing his type with those Elemental Plates of his. Then he hit us with some weird attack. I think he teleported us to Eterna Forest, Master."

"Quit calling me that!" Maverick shouted. He gasped in pain, clutching his chest. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "If this is some prank, it's pretty dumb. Leon's a Pokemon, not a human."

"I know! That's why I'm confused!" the man cried. "Why can you understand me, Master? Wait! You said human, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Maverick asked, gasping for breath. His chest ached from yelling.

"Do I…look like a human to you, Master?" the man asked hesitantly.

"No, you look like a Buizel. _Of course_ you look human to me!" Maverick snapped. "What about it?"

"Could that weird guy…?" The man ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "Master, I need you to listen to me. Everything I'm about to tell you is true."

"If it'll help me figure out what kind of dumb prank you're pulling, I'll listen." Maverick grumbled.

"This isn't a prank, Master. Honest," the man said.

"Whatever," Maverick said.

"Master… I think that weird Pokemon, Arceus, cursed you," the man stated.

"Cursed me? Why?" Maverick asked.

"Arceus was mad at us because he thought we stole the Azure Flute from him. Maybe he cursed you in revenge," the man suggested. "He seemed to really hate humans and the idea that humans captured Pokemon. But that doesn't explain why he would let you see me, and possibly the rest of the team, like this."

"Wrong," a voice said. "You've got the right idea but the wrong reasons, Empoleon."

The man and Maverick whirled around, spotting the strange man from the Hall of Origin. He was seated on a branch in a tree, which he proceeded to leap from. Landing perfectly on his feet, the strange man proceeded to stand up and walk toward the pair. He smiled at the sight of the man, currently claiming to be Leon, placing himself between him and Maverick.

"Even in that form, you still put yourself in harms way for a human. I truly don't understand why a Pokemon would do such a thing, considering how much humanity has injured and killed Pokemon," the strange man said.

"What are you doing?" Maverick asked, looking at the raven-haired man in shock.

"Protecting you, Master," the raven-haired man replied. "That is my job. I promised that I would protect you after we battled that Onix in Oreburgh Mine. Remember, Master?"

Maverick's eyes widened in shock as the memory resurfaced.

_Maverick smiled, tossing a Poke Ball at the Zubat and capturing it. "I caught a Zubat! Awesome!" He turned and smiled at Leon, a Piplup back then. "Great job, Leon! You'll be the strongest in no time!"_

"_Piplup pip!" Leon nodded._

"_Now then, the last Pokemon to find in this place in an Onix. Let's get searching, Leon." Maverick said, pocketing the Zubat's Poke Ball._

_After nearly an hour of searching, Maverick began to lose hope of finding an Onix. Back then, he had been obsessed about catching every single new Pokemon he came across. If he failed, he became depressed. Despite Maverick's fading hope, Leon encouraged his trainer to keep searching._

_Leon's encouragement brought them success…at a price._

_They had finally found an Onix, but it wasn't about to roll over and let itself be captured. It was throwing out every move in its arsenal and Leon was growing tired of dodging. Maverick eventually tossed out a few Poke Balls in the hopes of catching it, failing due to its high stamina._

"_Leon, use Bubble!" Maverick ordered._

"_Pi…PLUP!" Leon fired bubbles from his beak._

_The Onix shuddered as it grew soaked, only to react violently by using Rock Throw. Leon gasped as a huge rock was sent flying his way. It was big enough to flatten him! Realizing he couldn't evade it fast enough, Leon ducked and curled into a ball on the ground to await his oncoming death._

…_It never came._

_Opening his deep blue eyes, the Piplup gasped in shock as he found Maverick standing over him on his hands and knees. Blood ran down from behind the boy's left ear, scarlet drops dripping onto Leon's feathers. The huge boulder crashed to the ground by Maverick's side, allowing the boy to collapse beside his Piplup._

"_Are you…okay, buddy?" Maverick wheezed, blood running from the corner of his mouth._

"_Pip…" Leon whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes. Furious, he turned to face Onix. "Piplup! Piplup pip! Piplup!"_

_The Onix growled in response._

"_Piplup! Piplup pip! Piplup pip! Pip!" Leon cried._

_The Onix growled louder, growing angry._

"_Piplup pip! Piplup! Pip…" Tears ran freely down Leon's cheeks. "Piplup pip…"_

_The Onix roared in anger, hurling another huge rock at Leon. This time, the Piplup was ready. Sucking in the biggest breath he possibly could, Leon unleashed as many bubbles as possible. The force of the barrage shoved the boulder back, crashing it into Onix's head. The rock snake roared in pain, crashing to the ground._

"_Piplup?" Leon suddenly realized what he had to do now. He dashed back to Maverick. "Piplup pip! Pip!"_

"_Huh?" Maverick struggled to look up. "You…did it. Good job…buddy." He fainted._

_Leon had taken care of capturing the Onix, later called Flint. He had seen Maverick do it a dozen times, so it hadn't been too hard to accomplish. Once that was done, Leon took to dragging his trainer out of the mine by himself. The wild Pokemon stayed away, wary of the Piplup's power._

_The moment they were outside, Leon vowed to protect Maverick from harm for the rest of his life._

Maverick just stared at the raven-haired man in shock. _How…? How did he know about that? Unless…_

Struggling to his feet, the boy stumbled forward. The man instantly whirled around, catching Maverick in his arms. Maverick buried his face in the white shirt, taking in the scent coming from it.

"Leon… It really _is_ you." Maverick whispered.

The man, Leon the Empoleon, smiled. "I told you, Master. Have I ever lied to you before?"

"How would I know? I couldn't understand you before." Maverick reminded, smiling faintly.

He never took his eyes off of Leon's human face. He was definitely a handsome-looking man. Maverick envied the lucky girl who got to end up with him.

_Wait! What am I thinking?_ Maverick mentally shouted. _I'm a guy, too! And Leon's a Pokemon to boot! I'm straight! STRAIGHT!_

Leon never noticed his trainer blushing, having turned his attention back to the strange man. "You must be Arceus," he commented.

"Indeed, I am," the strange man nodded.

"You said I was wrong. Mind explaining to me why you did this then?" Leon asked. "Why can Master see me in this form? Why can he speak to me? Why did you curse him to begin with?"

"The first two questions have the exact same answer," the strange man, Arceus, explained. "What your trainer is seeing is your Gijinka form, a human-like form that Pokemon have. Humans can't see it unless they're blessed with a special sight by Legendary Pokemon. With that sight, a human can see your human-like form and speak to you as if you knew the human language. Unfortunately, this makes the trainer look a tad…crazy…in reality to onlookers."

"What about my third question?" Leon asked. "Why curse my Master?"

"He made one simple statement that irked me to no end," Arceus replied. "He said he understood you. He said he knew everything about you. I cursed him to prove him wrong."

"You did this to prove a point?" Leon shouted.

"Huh? Hey, what's going on?" Maverick asked, forced back into reality by his Gijinka Empoleon's shout.

"Humans think they know everything, essentially making the world theirs to govern and control. I'm afraid life does not work that way." Arceus said simply.

"Reverse it," Leon growled. "Reverse that curse right now, Arceus!"

"Or what?" Arceus challenged. "Kill me and it'll stay permanent. Injure me and I might choose to kill you both."

"I'll take that chance!" Leon yelled, charging. "Metal Claw!"

"Fool! You still think you can defeat me with such attacks?" Arceus chuckled, raising his arms to cross over his face and block the attack. "Have you forgotten my Elemental Plates already?"

"I could care less about those stupid plates!" Leon shouted, slashing his glowing claw-like fingernails at the older man.

Arceus, instead of activating his Elemental Plates, simply stepped back before lunging forward and crashing into Leon. Leon gasped as his back hit the ground, temporarily stunned. Arceus took no time in grabbing the Empoleon Gijinka's neck with one hand, pinning him to the ground. Leon struggled but couldn't throw him off.

"Give up," Arceus said coldly. "I am a Legendary. You are just a normal Pokemon. You stand no chance against me."

"I don't care!" Leon snarled.

Then the raven-haired man did something shocking. Freeing on arm, Leon pulled back a fist and punched Arceus as hard as he could. Arceus cried out in pain and shock, leaping off and away from Leon. Clutching his throbbing cheek with one hand, he glared hatefully at Leon.

"Legendary or not, I'm going to make you reverse that curse you put on my Master." Leon vowed.

"Not until he truly understands his Pokemon," Arceus replied. "Once he understands how little he _truly_ knew about you and them, then I'll reverse it. Until then, the curse stays."

Leon growled, sharp fingernails digging into his palms in frustration.

"Now then, I simply came to give you a warning." Arceus said. "It won't just be that boy's Pokemon that he can see in a Gijinka form. Any Pokemon he comes across, wild or captured by other trainers, will also be in a human-like form. They may choose to speak with you. Be careful. Your Master, if he chooses to converse with them or you in public, may be considered crazy."

"You actually care if he's deemed crazy?" Leon asked.

"…No," Arceus replied. "I'd prefer not being forced to break into a mental hospital in order to reverse his curse, though."

_I knew it,_ Leon thought, frowning. _Are all Legendaries like this toward humans? Mesprit seems okay in my book but still…_

"Now then, I've told you what needed to be told. Now I'll take my leave." Arceus said, turning his back on the pair. "I'll check in every once in a while."

"Why?" Leon asked, confused.

"Because I just remembered a little snag in that curse," Arceus replied, glaring over his shoulder at Maverick. "From the moment I placed it upon your Master, I ended up bound with a contract that forces me to ensure he doesn't die while my curse is still on him."

"What'll happen if I do die?" Maverick asked hesitantly.

"Something very, very bad," Arceus replied gravely. "Now then, I'm off. Don't do anything to get yourself killed, human."

Arceus teleported away before Leon or Maverick could say anything else to him.

"Well…now what?" Maverick asked.

"Are you feeling better, Master?" Leon questioned, kneeling beside the younger boy.

"A little," Maverick said. "Have you always called me Master, Leon?"

"Since the day we met," Leon nodded, smiling. "Why? Do you not like being called 'Master', Master?"

"No, it's okay! I just found it…odd, I guess." Maverick quickly said.

"Oh," Leon lowered his head slightly.

"Do the others call me that?" Maverick asked.

"Yes," Leon nodded again. "We all do, even the ones in storage call you Master."

"Okay," Maverick said.

There was an awkward silence between them for a while. Leon was the one to break it, growing nervous.

"Maybe you should let the others out." Leon suggested. "I'm sure they'd love to hear that you can see our Gijinka forms."

"Um… Sure?" Maverick agreed, a little worried. _What if some of them hate me? Is Arceus right? How much do I _really_ know about my Pokemon?_

Reaching toward his belt, he unhooked the other five Poke Balls he had and swallowed back his fear. Pressing the buttons on them, he tossed them forward. He said a quick prayer under his breath as five beams of white light erupted from the Poke Balls.

"Come on out, guys!" he cried. _Arceus, please don't let them hate me! I haven't been too bad of a trainer…right?_

When the five figures emerged, Maverick just stared in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Whoa," was all he could say.


End file.
